THURSDAY, Jan. 16, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Cell biologists may be exposing cell cultures used in laboratory research to too much oxygen.
The Ohio State University study making that claim appears online in the January issue of Circulation Research.
The study says cells act differently depending on levels of oxygen exposure, and that's especially true when there's too much oxygen. The study's finding could have a wide impact on cellular biology research.
The air humans breathe contains about 21 percent oxygen. Most cell research is done in open air with the same percentage of oxygen. However, the cells in our bodies are exposed to oxygen levels in the range of 0.5 percent to 10 percent.
This study says that means most cellular biology research is done in conditions that are unnaturally rich in oxygen. That triggers cell stress, the study says.
The Ohio State researchers exposed mouse heart cells to normal 21 percent oxygen levels. They found that cell growth slowed and the cells showed some major physiological changes, including producing arrays of free radicals and specific oxygen-sensitive genes.
However, mouse heart cells incubated at a 3 percent oxygen level remained mobile and continued to grow.
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